~Chapter 6~
Eliza and Isabella spent the next few days settling in, scouting the area, and getting comfortable in their new surroundings. They both had to take the time to feed, so they ventured down to Portland rather than feeding the Seattle area The city was still on edge after the most recent newborn attacks. The attacks the two of them had stopped. Violence and killing the media attributed to an outbreak of gang violence. Some things never change, but it gave them an excellent cover, picking a gang member and feeding on him when he was isolated. Neither objected to sharing, they had done it many times in the past, there was more than enough blood in one human to sate them both for a while.
It wasn't ideal for either of them, but their normal supply lines of blood were still a week or two away from being established and providing a steady stream here. It was an idea Isabella came up with and presented to Aro, Marcus and Caius. Every year, the Red Cross alone throws out 1.3 million pints of blood, because of different diseases, or even little things like too little or too much iron. Vampires were not susceptible to the diseases humans had, so there was no reason the blood couldn't be used. She had proposed idea of "acquiring" this blood to the council. She argued it could be used in any sort of emergency, and as a stockpile. Caius immediately hated the idea, sneering about disliking his food being cold. Marcus had been typically indifferent to the whole concept, but he hadn't opposed it. Aro had loved the idea especially in terms of having an emergency supply on hand; though he explained he had no intention of "going off humans".
They had quietly established several different stockpiles located on different continents in case an emergency supply were needed. Unfortunately they'd neglected the west coast of America. The house had a large refrigeration unit in the basement which, in a week to 10 days, would be stockpiled with blood. Isabella and Eliza both felt most comfortable drinking the blood from those packets, even if it was cold; but neither had any qualms about feeding on humans if it was necessary.
Henry helped out by getting the house arranged in a way pleasing to them both. He also arranged for proper identification and documentation of their new identities. They were officially Isabella and Elizabeth Irutlov. Rather obvious in Eliza's opinion. "Might as well make our last name Alucard" she muttered, but she hadn't raised any more objections or offered any alternatives.
Henry also made sure to get them both enrolled in high school. He took the time to make sure both of them were registered for accelerated college post-secondary courses. It would come in handy, especially if one or both of them needed to miss chunks of time without warning.
Enrolling for school caused a shudder to run down Isabella's spine; returning to school. Putting aside the fact she had never enjoyed school in general, Isabella knew going there would force her to remember things she didn't necessarily want to, and it would force her to interact with them sooner or later. Isabella grudgingly accepted it, the vampire community was small enough the inevitability of dealing with them sooner or later was certain. Seeing them from afar probably helped more than anything else she had done since her change.
What made enrolling for school even more bizarre, was that she was enrolling as a sophomore, the same age as her daughter. A fact Eliza had teased her about more than once. How many people ever attended school with a daughter as a peer? Eliza was very excited about the prospect of going to school. Her life before her conversion hadn't allowed for any schooling.
Isabella knew what her daughter had gone through growing up; she had seen it all when they bonded. Something about what Isabella had experienced had fascinated her daughter ever since. It wasn't the education part which fascinated her, since Eliza had plenty of time for education during her training at Volterra, and between missions. There wouldn't be anything taught in their high school classes she hadn't been already been taught.
Isabella knew her daughter wanted to try to live among people; experience what humans got to experience, and see what she had only been able to view second hand. Now they had the chance and Isabella couldn't deny her daughter the opportunity, though she guessed soon the novelty of the situation would wear off. Isabella assumed she would be attending school far less than her daughter, and Isabella only agreed to enroll because it meant so much to Eliza.
Isabella still checked in with Aro on Saturday evening. Someone had taught him how to use the video camera function on a smart-phone and he spent over half the conversation marveling at the novelty of the whole thing. Isabella gave him a generic update on how they were settling in. His wife Sulpicia had drawn up some of the architecture for the house, so he was eager to hear about how it turned out. Isabella made sure to lavish sufficient praise on it. Before signing off, Aro instructed Isabella to call Jane, to touch base with her.
Isabella dutifully called to see how Jane was doing, and asked her how New York was. Isabella was surprised to find Jane and Alec were in Savannah, Georgia instead. Apparently a rash of attacks there had begun and they were clamping down on it. In a distracted voice, over the sounds of screaming in the background, Jane recommended not playing the waiting game. She and Alec had taken a very proactive approach to handling situations. If there happened to be more than one brutal slaying within a short time in one area, Jane and Alec moved to immediately address the situation. Isabella assured her she and Eliza were taking the same approach before assuring Jane she would keep her in the loop and then ending the conversation.
Isabella was always uncomfortable around Jane and her brother Alec. Isabella knew for a fact the feeling was reciprocated, because Jane made no secret of it. There was no active dislike on either side, however the two of them always seemed on edge around someone their powers couldn't affect; and since Eliza and Isabella were the only two who seemed to be immune, they were a definite minority.
They weren't the only ones in the Volturi who avoided Isabella and her daughter. The others mostly avoided them unless it was absolutely necessary. Isabella had been privy to more than one argument after her conversion with Eliza where Caius had pushed for their death because they were "an abomination." She had heard murmurs from others when they thought they were too far away to be overheard. The murmurs accused them of not being vampires at all and nothing but mutant hybrids.
Aro had stood firm against any and all accusations, refusing to take the most politically expedient solution and have Eliza executed. Isabella was never sure what his motives were. He knew if they tried to hurt Eliza it would come down to a fight with Eliza and Isabella on one side and the rest of the Volturi on the other. It was a fight he didn't want because neither side would win. Aro also knew both of them were very powerful, and Aro was nothing if not ambitious about adding power to the coven. However, Isabella couldn't put the possibility of genuine compassion and caring past him either.
Isabella was always slightly uncomfortable around certain members of the Volturi, specifically Alec and Jane. She knew her daughter felt the same. Beyond the sadistic nature the two of them seemed to revel in a bit too much for Isabella's liking, there was the nature of their relationship. Alec and Jane had been twins changed into vampires by Aro when they were very young according to vampire standards. They were only 13 or 14 years of age when their community had attempted to burn them at the stake. Somehow Aro had found out about it and arrived just in time to put a definitive halt to the proceedings. He had offered to turn the two of them on the spot. He'd had his eye on them for a long while and it was the perfect opportunity. The two of them seemed like they were only bonded to each other, and they were always together. They seemed closer than most mates were, and since they were brother and sister, in Isabella's mind it made the whole thing incestuous.
Isabella knew it was slightly hypocritical; she shared thoughts and emotions with her daughter, and she was the one calling something "weird". Call it hypocritical, or call it a leftover human bias, it was still something Isabella was distinctly uncomfortable with.
Isabella spent some time over the weekend working with Henry to set up the basement with maps, monitors and computers, so they could get information quickly if they needed; and keep tabs on what was happening in the area around them. Henry proved himself invaluable, being very technologically competent something most vampires weren't. Eliza had taken one look at the set up in the basement and promptly dubbed it the Batcave. Isabella had a sinking feeling it was going to stick, especially when Henry took up the moniker with eagerness, clearly unashamed of his geeky side.
It was a little after 3 a.m. on Monday morning, the day Eliza and Isabella were to start school. Eliza told her mother she was going out for a run to enjoy the fresh air for a bit. Isabella privately thought she was going to work off a bit of nerves before school, though she was careful to hide such thoughts..
Isabella was standing on the porch, looking out at the clouds. It had warmed considerably in the past few days, as it tends to in spring, and almost all remnants of the snow were gone, helped along by the rain they received off and on over the weekend.
Henry joined her on the porch and murmured, "I think there's something you need to see."
Isabella turned with a frown to follow Henry as he gestured her back into the house. "Don't you ever sleep?" She asked curiously, as he led her down to the basement. She shook her head with a sigh, noticing a hand painted "Batcave" sign hanging at the bottom of the stairs, her daughter's handiwork, no doubt.
"I've learned to be a night owl, one of the hazards of the job. I thought you might want to see this." Henry replied seriously before pointing at one of the monitors set up in the basement. The monitor was streaming a live news broadcast from the Seattle area, showing an ambulance and several police cruisers with flashing lights. The reporter on the screen was inanely commenting about another possible example of gang violence. Isabella frowned and then bolted out of the basement. She took a few seconds to change into her "work" clothes: all black pants and shirt, gloves, and a long hooded coat, though she didn't cover her head.
"Henry, I'm going to investigate. If I'm not home before school starts, please show Eliza her present in the garage, if you would be so kind?" She asked, stopping at the door.
"Of course, should I tell her where you're going?" he asked politely.
Isabella shook her head, "No, I'll take care of it. I just want the present to remain a surprise until the last possible moment." Isabella disappeared through the door, leaving it open as she sped away, Henry stepped forward and closed it gently behind her.
Isabella ran full tilt toward Seattle, calling out to her daughter via her mind link even as she ran. "Eliza, there's been another killing in Seattle, I'm on my way to investigate it."
There was a slight pause before her daughter's voice responded. "Give me two minutes to get home to change and I'll join you." Eliza's tone was serious, all trace of her usual playfulness gone.
"No… It's only one, and we haven't run into anything either one of us couldn't handle alone. Besides, I can't have you out, it's a school night!" Isabella responded, her mental voice a bit teasing. "What kind of mother would I be if I let my daughter blow off her first day at a new school?"
Eliza's responds seriously, "You know what takes priority here."
Isabella frowned as she continued on toward the city. "I know. I promise; if it even remotely looks like I need help, I'll tell you."
Eliza grumbled. "You better. Are you sure this isn't YOUR way of getting out of the first day of school?"
Isabella couldn't help but smile as she saw the lights of the large city ahead of her. "Of course not. If I miss today I'm sure I'll get there eventually. Oh, and don't forget to talk to Henry before you leave in the morning. I'll touch base with you later, gotta concentrate." Isabella effectively ended the conversation as she followed her keen senses through the labyrinth of the city, leading her toward the sounds of multiple sirens.
